Adorama enlarging paper

[GRHazelton]

I'm getting back to bw darkroom work, after many years' absence. I've noted that Adorama has quite a selection of VC papers, both resin AND fiber based. Does any one have any thoughts to share on these papers? They are significantly cheaper than the "big boys." Many thanks!

George

 

[fschifano]

Yes, I do. I've tried the sample packs of RC and FB papers and they're pretty darned good. Next time I'm near the store, I'll be picking up a 250 sheet pack of 8x10 and probably some 11x14 of RC glossy. The stuff is as good or better than the older version that Adorama used to carry. The papers don't respond to selenium so well, and I'm not too crazy about the way they tone in Kodak's sepia toner either. That's not an unusual characteristic for a modern cold to neutral toned paper. Ilford's MG IV is about the same in that regard. But for a straight up B&W print, boy oh boy are they nice in good old Dektol. It's colder than Freestyles Arista.EDU Ultra and about 1/2 stop faster. There's room in my darkroom for both papers, since they do have completely different looks. Can't beat it for the price. Can't always beat it if you spend more. One of the sales people at the store told me that the support is made in the Czech Republic and the coating is done in the UK. How true is this? Beats me. It's a good product though and I think you'll be happy with it.

 

[GRHazelton]

Hey Frank -

Thanks for the info. Given the cost of paper these days, and for someone getting back in the swim - returning to the "dark side," I imagine that I'll be burning a fair amount of paper initally, at least. A user report is always good. I remember back when the earth's crust cooled my father and I found that Luminos paper was pretty darned good, and much cheaper than "The Great Yellow Father's" product. Thanks also for the comments on Freestyle's Arista product, another of the less expensive products I've been contemplating.

George

 

[vdonovan]

Luminos! My best friend and I went through boxes of that stuff, mostly printing pictures of cheerleaders that we would then sell at school.

I'm still a big fan of doing a lot of printing, getting the best results you can with a good basic inexpensive paper. (I've been using Oriental Seagull) I save the more expensive paper for special project.

I don't photography cheerleaders any longer, alas.

 

[vdonovan]

And thank you for the tip about Adorama paper. That IS a good price.

 

[naugastyle]

I posted about it here as well:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

For me, the RC is too fast. I haven't tried the FB, but I already have far too many FB papers that I like...not sure there's a need to try this one. I would use it for contact sheets, because I prefer 8.5x11 and Ilford's the only other manufacturer making it at a much higher cost, or if I needed pre-cut 4x6 for the same reason (but thus far my roll of 4" Foma Variant III is working just as well).

The boxes say "made in the EU" and the sales guy told me it was Ilford, but side-by-side comparisons show that it's not. For someone just getting back into it, it's definitely a great price! My current favorite cheapish RC paper to burn is Arista Private Reserve (Agfa MCP). The 250-sheet 5x7 box costs only a few bucks more than Adorama's of the same. It's a great neutral, tones to a lovely shade in selenium and does pretty well split-toned with sepia and selenium too. Unfortunate, I wish I liked the local brand more!